A new home for Cheryl, Joanna, Jake and me.

Well it’s taken a while, but we finely found just what we wanted, a new home for Jake, Cheryl Joanna, and me. For those faithful blog readers, you will remember that Jake, our ridiculous Portuguese Water Dog, never really settled in to the condo we were living in on the water front. And for that matter, neither did Cheryl.

However, our year-long quest for “just the right house” has been rewarded, and as this very blog is being posted, we will be moving into our “brand new digs” at 226 King Street East. Well, really not so brand new, the house was built in 1843 for Watkins & Muckleston Merchants, and is a grey limestone heritage townhouse1.

We are thrilled with the house, which has been beautifully renovated by the previous owners, meticulously preserving the home’s heritage character. No historical detail was spared: original or antique sourced hardware, exposed brick, and old pine wood flooring.

We will love the location. It’s a seven-minute walk to work, two minutes to the market, three minutes from Mio Gelato and four minutes from AquaTerra.

Importantly, the house has a backyard for Jake. A place for him to bark at the neighbour’s cat, chase the squirrels, chew on a bone, or just take in the sunshine.

So wish us luck for the move. Boxes are being packed, movers are on the way, furniture is being delivered and a fence being built for Jake. We move in on Monday and after one night there, I’m off to give a lecture in Leeds England on Tuesday. You can well imagine how much that trip is going to “cost me”, as Cheryl will be left with a mess of boxes.

If you have any stories about old houses in Kingston, comment on our blog, or better yet… please stop by the Macklem House, my door is always open.

12 Responses to A new home for Cheryl, Joanna, Jake and me.

I think it’s worth mentioning that you’re a stone’s throw away from the Pilot House, which if you haven’t tried already, I don’t think I would be the only person to recommend (a certain professor of ours certainly would!)

As for Jake, I’m sure he would appreciate the space! We have the same problem with our standard poodle, Tesla, who isn’t very fond of being cooped up in the apartment. We’re constantly looking for places to go where she has a little more space and the potential to socialize with other dogs. Perhaps we’ll see Jake around some time?

Yes we have tried the Pilot many times and agree, their fish and chips are the best. Hope to see you and Telsa walking around soon, although I ‘ll warn you, Jake has some leash aggression, not sure why.

From what limited knowledge I have about Portuguese water dogs, they tend to be friendly and very loyal, particularly to certain individuals of their “pack”. I’ve heard of dogs that become more protective of their owners when they’re on walks, almost as if putting on the leash is akin to donning knight’s armor. Perhaps that might be why, which makes me wonder whether Jake and Tesla might be more likely to get along off leash. Does Jake frequent the dog parks in Kingston?

It’s great that you have found the home that will help you complete settling into Kingston life–especially downtown life with all your favourite spots! What a lovely setting you have found for your family, including Jake. Welcome home!

Dear Richard
I lived for 4 years during med school in the ground floor apartment at 176 King St East with roomates from meds 74 and 75. I often walked by #226 en route downtown or to the ferry dock to Wolffe Island. I have so many wonderful memories of living on King St E, not the least of which was walking through John A. MacDonald park or along the lake every day en route to class in the old Etherington Hall. It was also easy to walk to rotations as a clinical clerk at Hotel Dieu… When I left #176 in May 1975, another group of 1st year med students moved in….Our landlord, Mr Juby, liked med students. Enjoy the culture of King St E. A wonderful choice.
Heather Dean Meds ’75

It’s been sometime since I posted a blog response but hearing and reading Heather Dean’s posting has prompted me to comment.

The “Old Stones of Kingston” remains a personal favourite coffee table book of mine, I assume it’s still in print and available? I grew up in a spectacular house on the western edge of the campus,
35 Centre St, “Bellevue House”. Sir John A, lived in a variety of homes in Kingston and Picton as he made his mark 1st as a lawyer then as Canada’s 1st Prime Minister. John A never did own Bellevue, but compared to his other “digs” this magnificent building best suited itself to become a museum.

Richard you’ve chosen well, you do not have the expansive gounds and gardens to maintain that came with Bellevue house, but, the bonus was our family dog could be off leash almost always and if he ran off, neighbours, Queen’s students, and the Kingston dog catcher easily could identify him and let us know, as “Bruce” was a hind leg amputee and was a three legged canine creature, well known to Dr Hugh Scully, but Dr Heather Dean is too young to have met “Bruce”!!

Amongst the “Old Stones of Kingston”, and growing up where I did, I was in walking distance of all my schools and I had the amazing record of going to public school, high school, and university all on the same block!!

Thanks for the fond memories and interesting history. We are really settling in to our new house, although Cheryl has scolded me that we have lived there for nearly three weeks and “i have slept in my own bed only six times”. So much for a dean’s travel schedule. Although the back yard is small, Jake enjoys sitting outside, chewing on a bone, and barking at the occasional neighbour.

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